policy_4-08

SUSPENSION AND EXCLUSION PROCEDURE

PR-4-8

PROCEDURAL DOCUMENT

Effective date: 4 September 2012

Rationale

Students need to
have an environment which is conducive to learning. When the behaviour
of some
students is negatively affecting the positive environment, remedial
action is necessary. The ultimate sanction is exclusion. Even when
other
students are not directly affected there has to be provision for dealing
with gross misconduct or continual disobedience of publicised standards
of
acceptable behaviour.

Purpose

To ensure the
school correctly follows the procedure for suspension as set out in
Section 13-18 of the Education Act 1989 and Education (Stand-down,
Suspension, Exclusion and Expulsion) Rules 1999.

To ensure all students have assistance to remain at school and progress with their learning.

To ensure
there is a process for withdrawing from the school, students who present
a threat to the safety and/or learning of others.

Guidelines

The school
has a clearly defined discipline programme with identified consequences
for undesirable behaviour. This programme is made known to all students
and parents/caregivers.

Guidance,
counselling and/or referral to Resource Teachers of Learning and
Behaviour Service or outside agencies will be given to any student who
regularly behaves inappropriately. The Principal will inform the
parents and try to resolve the problem.

If the
undesirable behaviour continues, the student and the parents/caregivers
will be advised that stand down or suspension may follow.

If a student commits a very serious action, immediate suspension may follow. This may be for a specified or unspecified period.

Grounds for suspension are:-Gross misconduct or continual disobedience which is harmful and a dangerous example to other students, or-Because
of the student’s behaviour it is likely that the student or others will
be seriously harmed if the student is not suspended.

If the
undesirable behaviour continues, the student and the parents/caregivers
will be advised that stand down or suspension may follow.

If the
undesirable behaviour continues, the student and the parents/caregivers
will be advised that stand down or suspension may follow.

The Principal
can stand-down a student for a specified period of up to ten days per
year, however only five days during a term. The parents/caregivers,
Board of Trustees and the Ministry of Education must be informed.

The Principal
may suspend a student more than once during a term or a year. The
suspension period is governed by the requirement that the Board of
Trustees must meet within seven school days of the date of the
suspension (or within ten calendar days if the suspension took place
within seven school days of the end of term) to consider the suspension
and decide the outcomes.

The
parents/caregivers of the student, or representatives, will be invited
to attend the suspension meeting. At least 48 hours before the Board
meeting the Principal must give the student and parents the Principal’s
Report to the Board on the suspension and any other material about the
suspension to be presented at the meeting and the options available to
the Board and possible outcomes of the suspension.

If the student is under 16, the Board of Trustees may either:

lift the suspension without conditions

extend the suspension with reasonable conditions for a reasonable period

exclude the student.

If
the Board of Trustees decides to exclude the student the Principal must
try to enrol the student in another school within ten school days and
if this is not successful, the Principal must inform the Ministry of
Education who will take suitable action to enrol the student at a
school.

A student under the age of 16 cannot be expelled.

Plateau School is committed to
providing support, behaviour management programmes and advising of
counselling agencies that are available to assist parents and
caregivers.

Conclusion

These requirements
imply that the Board of Trustees and the Principal will take all
reasonable steps to ensure students have assistance to remain at school
and progress with their learning.

Definitions

Stand-down means
the formal removal of a student from school for a specified period.
Stand-downs of a particular student can total no more than five school
days in a term or ten school days in a year.

Suspension means the formal removal of a student from school until the Board of Trustees decides the outcome at a suspension meeting.

The Principal is the only person who can make the decision to stand-down or suspend a student from the school. (Section 14(1)).

Exclusion means
the formal removal of a student aged under 16 from the school and the
requirement that the student enrol elsewhere.